Perimeter walk

I'm feeling so much better this afternoon, so I decided to take my camera for a walk around the perimeter.. This is one of 2 apple trees in the yard.. Yellow- I think Grimes Golden delicious apples. They are very tasty.

When my mom was alive she used to call me over to see the wisteria blooming. Funny how I can't look at that tree/bush and think of her excitement.

Charlie has planted strawberries and has them contained here.. They are just getting a firm grip on the soil at this point.

The stately and royal oak

Rose that lives forever is what this plant is called..

The red raspberry bushes have already set fruit.. it just has to ripen

A lonely little potato plant

Gotta keep my distance from this stuff growing on the edge of the woods.. it's
poison ivy

The view from the front door.. it's our nursery on the picnic table for now. Lots of little seedlings are growing here

phlox..

Who can resist the fragrance of a peony? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.. so sweet! Mandy doesn't like them because to get to the flower, it must first be opened by ants

You can almost see the ants crawling on this peony head.. in a day or two it will be opened and smelling so heavenly..


This is the peach tree(s).. My mom planted a couple seeds many years ago.. every July/August we get wonderful fruit from the two trees.

This is Mandy's Onion and Tomato bed.. she's growing Vidalia onions.. and her tomatoes she has hanging upside down in the 2 pots. There is parsley growing on top of the pots.

Back to the main garden.. onions and rhubarb flourish here

Iris

I don't know what this tree is.. the trunk you see doesn't belong to it.. it's growing from behind.
The leaves are huge.. 6-8" across and heart shaped. Any guesses?

Hosta. The milk can in the picture was one that Wendell's dad used when he was shipping milk to the cheese factory in New Wilmington

Honeysuckle

This hole is in the driveway by the trailer.. Wonder who lives here? Likely a groundhog.

Here's another hole, but someone has put rocks at the entrance so whatever is living there can't get out. These were good sized holes.. about 10' apart along the driveway.

My herbs/flowers on the picnic table

The main garden

Flowering quince grows along the main road

Our new tire to match the other driveway

Chickens taking a dust bath

One of 5 burning bushes I have potted

Bachelor buttons

Look closely.. it's a stalk of asparagus

Wow! It's the last day of May already. I can't believe how time has flown. I suppose as I get older, the days seem to go faster.
Before we left for Valentines a week ago, I planted some onion sets.. this week we have been enjoying the first crop already. They are so much better home grown. My little herb and flower garden on the picnic table yet, is flourishing. I planted zinnias on Wednesday and by Friday there were all sorts of little green leafy starts.
It's cool today in the mid 60s, but by Monday it'll be nearly 80* and wet. Good for the plants for sure.

Wendell took a nasty fall yesterday morning. He'd just had both knees injected with Synvisc on Friday. He was having a horrific nightmare about wrestling a computer and it tossed him right off the bed and onto the floor. His left knee has an abrasion and is pretty swollen yet. He hasn't been feeling himself lately. He's hoping he'll still be able to have that knee injected with the 2nd dose on Friday. We shall see. Pray for healing.

I really do love spring. I'm enjoying the wild daisies.. oh, so cute and pretty too. There is so much to do here.
In my moments when I'm not doing much outside, I have been cataloging old pictures. All photos need mounted and put with family groups .. that's a broad term, but it's happening. I've got several albums worth now. I'm using acid free everything and all pages are in sleeves to protect them. One day we shall have a huge collection and all in order.

It's the Sabbath day. We did not make it to church, but I was pretty certain we wouldn't yesterday with Wendell's problems and then my back giving me so much grief. I blame it mostly on the weather for my own misery. This morning I soaked in a tub of very warm water and am able to get by without taking any medications for the now discomfort. A lot of my own problem was that I did the laundry at the laundromat by myself yesterday. Usually Wendell comes and helps fold things. Even though I only had 3 hampers, it was a lot for my back.

I have 2 aluminum trays that belonged to my parents. I would like to see them shine again.. anyone have any good ideas?

It's a rainy day today. I've been a busy bee going through boxes and pictures and trying to organize the photos into family groups, slip them into sleeves and file in binders. It is an easy task but tedious. I only do one small box of pictures at a time as they can get overwhelming.

All of my plants are thriving. They love the warm weather and the rain. Charlie gave me some larger pots for my flowers too. I should have bazillions if they all sprout!

Supper was one of Mandy's great pork roasts.. salad and mashed potatoes and a warm dinner roll.
WOW! So delicious.

I find that I'm not spending a lot of time on the computer online these days. Just too much to do and see outside.

Good morning all.. today is office day and the reason we returned yesterday from NY rather than today. 8 patients await infusions.. pray for us please.
It's kind of chilly out today with the temperature around 62*.. wet and drizzly. Good for plants of course.. Thank the Lord for the water from Heaven.
I've been reading Philippians and trying to keep in mind that no matter what circumstances I find myself, God will use it to bless me and possibly others. If nothing else, these "inconveniences" teach me patience.
As I pray over these things, instead of saying "Oh, woe is me.. now what?", I am trying to ask myself "How will God use this to make me better or to bless me in some way?" Sometimes it's hard to do, as some things just seem like disasters.. and cause me frustration, but I try then to remember not MY will, but God's will be done. I turn the event over to Him and let Him deal with it. I'm not perfect, but I'm growing in faith and trust, and I remember I'm loved. I want to decrease my complaining and rely more on God, for this pleases Him.
Before we left for NY, I printed out 40 pages of a Bible study on Philippians. I read them all in one sitting- I couldn't put it down. Now then, what would I use for a Bible study? Wendy and I went to a garage sale on Saturday morning and I found a devotional by Spurgeon.. Morning and Evening.. and I bought it for $1. It is most helpful to me and I'm reading it through too.
I bought 3 items at that sale.. all $1. I got a plaque for my new home to come that says "A day hemmed in prayer never unravels".. I loved it and it reflects what I so believe is true.
Time to get moving here..

Have a super day!

According to the CDC.. statistics for influenza 2008 to May 2009:

During week 19 (May 10 - 16, 2009),
influenza activity decreased in the United States, however there are still higher levels of influenza-like illness than is normal for this time of year.
One thousand seventy-four (15.1%) specimens tested by U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories and reported to CDC/Influenza Division were positive for influenza.
The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was below the epidemic threshold.
Two influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported.
The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) was below the national baseline. One of the ten surveillance regions reported ILI above their region-specific baseline.
Five states reported geographically widespread influenza activity, 13 states reported regional activity, the District of Columbia and 15 states reported local influenza activity; 16 states reported sporadic influenza activity, and one state reported no influenza activity.

We had a wonderful time and enjoyed immensely the hospitality of the Valentines.. Shopping with Wendy, doing crafts with kids (Essie made a pillow), watching Isaac put his lego pirate ship together, and watching the kids have fun with bubbles.. the time went way too fast. (As usual)
We are home safe and sound as of about 5:30pm tonite..

Isaac's day

Mr Cool

Saturday night CrackerBarrel